Tigers Take NCAC Match in Busy Trip to Indiana

The Wittenberg Tiger men's tennis team started off a busy day with a big win over North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) foe Wabash, but they were unable to take the momentum into the afternoon, falling to Calvin College.

April 4, 2009
Box Score Box Score
Derek Derie

Derek Derie

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - The Wittenberg Tiger men's tennis team started off a busy day with a big win over North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) foe Wabash, but they were unable to take the momentum into the afternoon, falling to Calvin College. The win over Wabash was the most important part of the tri-match, giving the Tigers their first win of the year in the NCAC, evening the slate at a 1-1 conference record.

 The Tigers beat Wabash in a close 5-4 decision, with key wins coming from sixth-flight singles and freshman Derek de Rie (Breukeler, The Netherlands/RSG Broklede). De Rie's 6-4, 6-0 win proved to be one of the defining victories in the back-and-forth match. Pairing with freshmanStephane Antwi (Rosedale, NY/Monsignor McClancy Memorial), de Rie also took a point at No. 2 doubles, where he and Antwi earned a 9-8 (7-3) victory.

Sophomore Bobby Fisher (Gahanna, Ohio/Lincoln) also enjoyed a pair of victories over the host Little Giants, taking the second flight singles match after a win in the third flight doubles match with classmate Andy Lamb (Bluffton, Ohio/Bluffton).

An emotional win over the Little Giants took a lot of energy out of the Tigers, who were unable to find any traction against Calvin, losing to the Knights 9-0.

However, Head Coach Justin Stuckey's men look to refuel quickly, with the Capital Crusaders coming to town Sunday afternoon for a 1 p.m. start. The Tigers are now 10-5 on the regular season, as the first-year skipper has already led the team to twice as many wins as the 2007-2008 season.

Written by: Erin Slattery '10 and Ben Bradley, SID Assistant